Page 24 of Obsidian Dream
A thrill ran through her as she was forced to block his moves.Winning an unequal match wasn’t what she wanted.
She blocked a punch, using Talik’s momentum to lash out at his legs.She succeeded in kicking them out from under him, careful not to be dragged down.
They both stopped taunting each other.Their breathing grew increasingly heavy and loud as she tried to find an opening to use against him.But he kept blocking her moves.Only every third or fourth punch or kick was connecting with any sort of force.She pivoted and executed a back kick that should have sent Talik stumbling into a heap.But it wasn’t enough.Talik had gotten faster over the years.Instead of hitting the ground like she’d wanted, he backflipped and kicked her.
After landing hard on the mat, she rapidly scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain and the bruises already forming.She would heal.
“One minute, Kiki.And there can only be one winner.”
“Thank you for the reminder,” Khalida muttered, as she barely dodged Talik’s fist.
His hair had long left his messy bun and stuck to his face.The black matte uniform glistened with sweat.The material was double layered with Kevlar to stop any high-velocity impact.But it could be a bitch to fight in, if you weren’t used to it.His dark gaze flashed with amusement tinged with hunger.And that damn cocky smile.She nearly stumbled.For a second, she was transported to another time and place, when two sets of obsidian eyes had often stared at her.
One more move and Talik would be out of her life forever.“I’m not the only one who looks like they have been practicing.”
Adrenaline rushed through her.Winning was driving her forward as she threw herself into another set of kicks, each one forcing Talik to step backward and defend himself.She didn’t need to take him to the ground.All she needed to do was push him enough that he stumbled over the boundary.Any body part that crossed the line would be considered an automatic forfeit to the match.
The thirty-second warning chimed loudly.
Talik stood less than two feet from the boundary.One more kick, and she’d have him across the line.
She leaped into the air, using everything she had, and realized her miscalculation too late.
Talik grabbed her leg midair, twisting her body as he forced her to the ground.The impact jarred every single bone as she gritted her teeth against the pain.Tasting blood, she grabbed Talik’s shoulder a moment too late.He moved, leaving her gasping for air a second before he spun her around on the floor, twisting her arm as he flipped her onto her stomach.He quickly placed her in an immovable hold, his big body encasing her in a cage.
Right on the white boundary.
The bell chimed.
Everything stilled as her entire world fell apart.
She stopped struggling and craned her neck to glance over her shoulder.Talik hadn’t moved from his position.His heavy weight pinned her to the mat.“You can let go of me.”
He hesitated.
Khalida swallowed.“You win.”
The words were bitter, but she wasn’t that petty.Talik used her own strategy against her, and it worked.She had been so damn sure of herself that she made a simple error.She’d underestimated her opponent.In life, that would get her killed.But now it meant that Talik had won their bet, and she wouldn’t go back on her word.
Talik had three months of her life.For someone who expected to live for upward of three millennia, three months was nothing in the grand scheme of things.But then she hated being beholden to someone.And Talik had the power to make those three months a living nightmare.
Talik moved off her, giving her space.
There wasn’t a sound in the gym, except for their heavy breathing.She ignored the aches and the emerging bruises as she forced her shoulders back.She may have lost, but she still had her pride, and she would keep her end of the bargain.In a few hours, there would be no marks on her skin.But she would carry this loss within her for a long time.She rarely lost any of her sparring matches, and now when it counted the most...She closed her eyes as she relived the last move.It had been a mistake, but she let emotions take control and assumed she was better than Talik.
Tugging at her sports bra, she slowly looked Talik over.Half expecting him to gloat, he stared at her with an unreadable expression.Sweat streamed down his forehead.A part of her made the damn wager because she didn’t want to deal with tomorrow.The one day a year she wanted to be left alone and forget that she wasn’t able to save everyone.No matter how much she wanted to.Having Talik in the same location was likely exacerbating her emotions, bringing up feelings she’d spent the last few centuries trying to forget.It was bad enough that both of them would be forever linked to the memory.
“What are the terms?”
Talik slowly blinked at her.
“Of the wager.”Khalida continued to prompt.
Talik half smiled.“Three months.Of my choosing, within the next ten years.”
***
TALIK
